1. Field of the Invention
Since wood was fashioned by the most rudimentary hand tool, the art has made great strides. In the 21st century, reliance on wood as a primary construction product has diminished, while woodworking as an avocation has substantially increased.
While at one time entire ships and buildings were constructed of wood using the most basic hand tools, those tools, for the most part, are enhanced by the availability of power. Saws, planes, routers, hammers and staplers, sanders, and a multitude of other woodworking tools, are now powered.
With the advent of power tools, even the relatively unskilled are able to achieve higher quality and repeatable results not previously possible. As a consequence, professionals have demonstrably greater skills, and the amateur's interests and satisfaction have been enhanced.
Several such power tools are devoted to creating a finish on woods, while others shape the workpiece. The present invention is in the category of a shaping tool, useable by a power tool, e.g., an electric drill.
2. Overview of the Prior Art
The present rotary shaping tool is a quantum leap from its predecessor, which is the most relevant prior art. The MICROPLANE® rotary shaper drill attachment was an aluminum extrusion which supported multiple cutter sheets. Its use resulted in overheating, which in turn caused clogging and clear deterioration of its cutting ability. It will also be evident that the tooth pattern and configuration is entirely foreign to the present invention.
The device was illustrated on line as item 36747 at an online woodworking superstore catalog, which may be viewed at Rockler.com. The The text proclaims that the unit would not clog, but in truth, it did. Indeed, clogging and overheating became an impediment to the complete success of the MICROPLANE® shaper.
The patent art provides little additional insight into the rotary shaping tools for woodworkers, or, indeed, those who work with other mediums, e.g., cement finishing. In that arena, Fushiya et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,381 bears some passing resemblance to at least one of the objectives of the present invention. In the Fushiya patent, a power cutting tool, for use on a flat cement surface, is disclosed. A flat disk, which is coplaner with the surface of the workpiece, is rotated to remove flecks of cement dust from the surface thereof, and a fan sucks the dust up and away from the surface being finished.
In a similar fashion, Nisho U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,785 employs the same concept work on wood surfaces. Arai et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,221 focuses on the removal of chips created by a milling process.
Noda et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,122 is yet another vacuum type device for a milling machine, and Belanger U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,364 teaches a device for knocking the pintails off screws and rivets.
Finally, Davis U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,792 employs an exhaust hood. The thread common to these patents is the removal of material which has been excised from a workpiece, but, as will become evident, none of them anticipate, or render obvious, the novel approach taught by the present invention.